Pearls and Jelly
by StrawberryTrapper
Summary: Upon graduation, Todoroki Shouto moved to Taiwan to study abroad for college. Getting a job at a local bubble tea shop and renting out a nice apartment, life is good. He's kept in touch with most of his high school classmates, but Momo Yaoyorozu seemed to have disappeared... until he is suddenly informed that he is going to have a new roommate! Other ships featured as well!
1. Oolong

**Pearls and Jelly**

**Note: **Hey guys, long time no writing lol. Over the past year and a half I started attending university, and been really focusing on writing for my intended major, which had left me with a huge amount of writers block. Anyway, I realized it is important to write things you enjoy along the way, so that's why I'm finally ending my hiatus and getting back into the fold. This is my first BNHA fic, and I'm really excited to have it feature my OTP TodoMomo. This story is inspired by the 2017 K-Drama _Because This is my First Life_, along with working at a bubble tea store. In this fic, I use Shouto instead of Todoroki to describe him, since it is his first name. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Please review!

Shout out to Pand4nn for doing the art for this piece! Please check out the rest of their work on twitter! :)

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**Chapter 1: Oolong**

**A **small apartment located in the heart of Taipei, Taiwan remained silent throughout the night, almost as if no one was there. Silence, even throughout the busy nightlife and morning rushes, that was all that remained there; well, that was the appeal, after all. The sound of the bustling UA dorm was just…tiresome. But now, Shouto Todoroki was finally alone. Graduation came and went, and among the slew of university applications and internships, the young male decided he would take some time and study abroad. He enjoyed his high school life, and had many friends along the way, but at this point in time he needed a break from the rigorous hero training. He would still train of course, but pro-hero universities leaves some room for _some_ downtime. Sometimes it was just nice to be a person, not a hero. So, he applied to a prestigious pro-hero university in Taiwan to get away from the Japan hero scene.

Why Taiwan? Mandarin was the only language other than Japanese that he could speak (almost) fluently. During his training with his less than ideal father, the legendary hero Endeavor, he was forced to practice speaking Mandarin for at least five hours every day. Shouto was always taught that in order to be the best, a hero must be able to protect and speak to all civilians near and far. And well, why not start with one of the most widely spoken languages in the world? Using his father's money and connections, Shouto decided to move out three months before classes began with his own apartment in order to adapt to the change of scenery better. Or well, that's what he told himself, at least.

Suddenly, the silence that the young hero relished in was soon interrupted by the ringing of a light blue alarm clock. Letting out a soft sigh, a lightly tanned hand reached out and pressed the 'off' button. Heterochromatic eyes fixated on the time, which read 7:00, right on the dot. Sitting up, Shouto stretched and stood, slowly maneuvering over to his bathroom to take his routine seven minute ice cold shower. Cold showers always woke him up, and gave him time to reflect. Usually reflecting on his time in high school, he wondered how his former classmates or family members were doing. Of course, he and the rest of his class always kept in touch, constantly posting on their instagrams and group chats to make it seem like they never spent a day apart, but of course… they did. It was nice to message each other and see his friends go off and pursue their own lives but, the rift between each of them began as soon as he boarded the plane to Taipei.

Upon exiting the shower, the young male quickly toweled himself off and returned to his bedroom, rummaging through his mess of a closet to pull out the same work uniform he had been wearing practically every day since he arrived. He got a job at one of the many bubble tea stores near his apartment, under the pretense of 'making more money for school'; even though, it was just something to pass the time. Money was never a necessity to the Todorokis, but having a purpose was more than necessary to Shouto. Changing into a black shirt with a large purple bubble tea logo on the back that read 'Pearls and Jelly' that paired with black jeans, he looked as dull as he felt. Glancing into the mirror, he ran a hand through his dampened hair and ruffled it in a feeble attempt to add some 'style'. Upon hearing a knock at the door, he swiftly made his way over to open it, letting in a petite elderly woman.

"Todoroki!" The woman allowed herself inside the apartment, her tiny arms bunched up against her chest as she held a bright orange purse with little white flowers decorating the outside. As she passed by the young male, he let out a faint "Hello, Lin Tai Tai." before shutting the door and turning around to face her. "…How are you today?"

"Oh, Todoroki, you are such a sweet tenant, asking how little old me is?" She beamed, slowly maneuvering over to grasp his cool left hand. "I am doing just fine, just fine!" She squinted her eyes, looking Shouto up and down before letting out a: "But you…you look so skinny! Why don't you come over to my house one day and I'll cook for you?" The young man smiled softly, appreciating her kind offer, yet knowing he would never take her up on it. Despite her sweet personality, he wanted to keep their relationship strictly between a landlord and tenant; nothing more, nothing less. However, he was much too kind to ever say that to her.

Tingwei Lin became Shouto's landlady about a month ago, renting out a small apartment her husband had owned before he passed away. She was seventy-three years old, and about as blind as a bat. She had a habit of being overbearing, but that was simply because Shouto had reminded her of the grandson she had always wanted.

"Todoroki, I have some news to tell you…" Her frail voice trailed off, shaky hands reaching into her purse. "…As you know…this apartment is meant for two people and well… I talked it out with my mahjong club and we decided it would be best if another student moved in with you and took the other room…" Pulling out a small pink sticky note, she placed it in the male's hand. "This is his information. We've only been contacting through email, but he seems like a delightful young man! He's a Japanese exchange student, just like you!" Looking around, she peered at the small clock on the table beside them. "Oh, would you look at the time! I'm going to be late to mahjong!" The elderly woman scurried over to the front door, but turned to the male one more time before leaving. "He should be moving in later today, so I'm leaving the extra key under the mat! Please treat him well, Todoroki! And stop calling me 'Lin TaiTai, call me Auntie! Okay, Zaijian!" She motor-mouthed before exiting the apartment, leaving the young tenant in utter confusion.

A new…roommate? Shouto knew upon moving in that there was plenty of room for another tenant, the apartment a bedroom and bathroom on both sides…but he didn't think he'd actually get one, which was foolish on his part. However, having a new roommate today didn't seem too ideal, but there was nothing he could do about it; on the bright side, now his rent would be split in half. Glancing down at the note, he grimaced at the illegible handwritten Mandarin. God, her eyes really were awful, he was surprised she could still diligently play mahjong if she could barely see. All he could make out were the Chinese character for 百, which in Mandarin was pronounced as 'Bǎi' and translated to 'hundred'. Hundred…? What a weird first name. In Japanese it would be pronounced as Hyaku…or…Momo. Shaking his head, he knew it was impossible for it to be…_her_, the only person he knew that would have that character in their name.

Shouto soon felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his phone, reading that the time was now 7:45 in the morning, and he was going to be late to catch the bus. Shoving the note in his pocket, he grabbed his 'Pearls and Jelly' black baseball cap as well as the matching purple apron and rushed out the door. Jogging over to the bus stop, the young worker had barely made it in time and hopped inside. Sitting in a spot far away from most of the other commuters, he looked outside as the bus began to depart. Knitting his multicolored brows, Shouto leaned forward as a familiar ponytail caught his eye through the tapered glass. Before he could think, the bus had already driven off, and the sight was gone. Sighing, he repositioned himself back in his seat and looked at the ground. He must have just been seeing things due to his soon-to-be roommate's name.

It couldn't have been her, it just couldn't.

{'}

Throughout Shouto's shift at work, all he could think about was his former classmate, Momo Yaoyorozu. They both remained in the same class throughout high school, and remained relatively close the whole time. Well, as close as one could get to the ice prince Shouto Todoroki. Despite all of the friends he made at UA, he always had a soft spot for Momo. He appreciated her enthusiasm and willingness to do whatever was best for the class. He also appreciated her earnestness and how well she interacted with everybody; no one ever had anything negative to say about Momo, that's just how she was. One time, his dear friend Izuku mentioned that Shouto possibly had feelings for the girl, but he quickly shot that down…even if it was true, it was not like he would ever react on it, that's not how he was. After graduation, Momo was the only one who was not regularly keeping up with the group, and whenever anyone would ask how she was doing, her best friend Kyouka Jiro would let out a blunt: "Don't worry about it." And after moving, that's just what Shouto did…or well, tried to do.

At around eight at night, Shouto had already boarded the bus back to his apartment, feeling slightly anxious about who might greet him once he arrives. In a way, he wanted to meet who it was in order to get him to stop thinking about Momo; but on the other hand, he didn't want to have to deal with someone new at the moment, selfish as that was. Sighing, the young male sat quietly on the bus, silently observing each of the pedestrians through the window. His mind began to wonder what it would be like if he really did have feelings for Momo and outwardly confessed to her way back when. What if they did go out? Would he even be in Taiwan? Would she have gone with him? Would they have gone on dates to amusement parks, or would she have made him a homemade lunch like they do on television? These thoughts caused a faint blush to appear on his cheeks, but it quickly faded as soon as the bus came to a halt outside his apartment. As he got off, he awkwardly began to move towards the front door, wondering who would be on the other side. Fumbling with his keys, the young male finally was able to unlock the door and slowly push it open. Stepping inside, the lights to the living room were off, and no voices could be heard. Was it possible his landlady had gotten her dates confused? Flipping on the light switch, it quickly shined on the circular coffee table that now had a plate full of food on it. Leaning down, his eyes fixated on the plate which contained two plain onigiri with a note beside it, which read:

"Hello! I was told that you were also a Japanese student, so I decided to make you some onigiri as a welcoming gift! I'm sorry but, my flight was rather long, and moving in all of my stuff was quite a bear, so I decided to sleep in early tonight. Enjoy!"

The note was written in Mandarin, despite it acknowledging both of their Japanese heritages, perhaps as a way to practice the new language. Picking up one of the rice balls, he took a bite and left out a soft smile- it tasted like home. Shouto took the plate to his room and shut the door, giving a sigh of relief upon entering.

It couldn't be her.

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**Note: **Whew! Writing the first chapter is always the hardest for me, so my apologies if it's a little slow! Things will definitely develop and get more interesting now that the groundwork is laid out! I still hope you all enjoyed, and I will update with a new chapter soon!


	2. Pu'Er

** Note:**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the support I've been receiving; it really helps me find the inspiration to continue writing. (I promise, I will be updating this fic MUCH more frequently lol)

This chapter finally (formally) introduces Momo, so I hope you all can enjoy! I also went back and did a bit of editing of the first chapter, and even added chapter titles so if you'd like to take a look at the edits I made please feel free. I hope you all enjoyed this, and if you did please leave a comment, they keep me going OTL

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** D**espite Shouto _telling_ himself multiple times throughout the night that his new roommate could not possibly be the esteemed Momo Yaoyorozu, the thought continued to prod at him any time he tried to forget it. Lying in his bed as the hours seemed to pass him by; whenever he tried to shut his weary eyes, they would immediately open with a slew of 'what ifs…' flooding into his mind. Sitting up, the note that had been left behind from his mystery roommate seemed to be glued to his hand, heterochromatic orbs scanning it multiple times to see if it would change at all. _What if it **is** Momo? Why would she be in Taiwan? What if she suddenly created an airplane and…and…no, that's ridiculous. There was no need for her to be in Taiwan, let alone create a massive airplane just to come here; she'd have plenty of money to buy her own ticket anyway. Right? Right?_ Sighing, the frustrated male would flop back on his bed, his multicolored hair obstructing his vision as he tried to clear his mind; which of course, proved to be futile. _There's no way it could be her, she's wealthy enough to go to any school she wants…smart enough, too. Besides, Lin TaiTai said this '__B__ǎ__i' or Hyaku__ was a **he**…so it must just be how his name translates in Mandarin. _Rolling over on his side, he tried again to shut his eyes, which was successful…for about two minutes. Aqua and grey irises shot open as he quickly hopped out of bed.

"But her eyes are terrible, what if it is her?!" Shouto accidentally verbalized, but he quickly clamped his mouth shut in fear of his roommate hearing.

Letting out a loud groan, he flopped back on the bed and stared blankly at the note. "…" Finally tossing it to the side, the male took his smart phone and opened Instagram, thumbs scrolling though a boring timeline before he caved in and typed his former classmate's username. Momo only had a handful of pictures, most of which were pictures of her holding up whatever tea she was drinking that day, or the occasional picture of the girls from their class. However, one picture was different…one of their high school graduation. On the surface, it might have seemed like a regular graduation photo that most of the class posted, but to Shouto, it was important. The photo had Momo in the center, tightly clinging onto her diploma as Mina's arm was slung around her shoulders. Mina, Kyouka, Tsuyu, Ochaco, and Toru (who could only be seen by her uniform) were on her left, while Shouto, Iida, Izuku, Bakugo, and Denki were on her right. Shouto, however, was right beside the young graduate, opposite of Mina. He was obviously never going to sling his arm around her like one pinkette did, but he did want to be close to her…as friends, of course. Everyone in the photo was smiling, except Bakugo and Shouto, who had to keep up their rough exteriors, even if it was useless. This was the last photo Momo had posted and the only one with the two of them together.

Suddenly, his glassy orbs were abruptly opened when the sound of an alarm could be heard. Blinking, it took him a few minutes to collect himself before he checked the phone that was already in his hand from when he had fallen asleep a few hours prior; checking the time, his full brows furrowed in confusion. 5:30? His alarm wasn't meant to go off for another hour and a half. Blinking again, he realized it wasn't _his _alarm that was going off, but his new roommates. A dry sigh escaped his thin lips, body turning over as he waited for the obnoxious sound to stop…but it didn't. Fifteen minutes passed with every other ring of the alarm growing more intolerable than the last. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. 'Hyaku' must have slept through 'his' alarm, and Shouto would have to mosey on over to his room and _politely_ get him to shut it off.

Approaching the door, Shouto grit his teeth as the alarm progressively got louder. _How can he sleep through this? _Raising his fist to the door, the young male began to knock, but quickly halted. Anxiety began to fill his mind and rush towards the rest of his body, which stopped at the discomforting idea of having to see his new roommate this early in the morning made him feel like a ton of bricks just collapsed on his chest- and he couldn't breathe. It didn't matter if this roommate was Yaoyorozu or not, Shouto just…wasn't good with interacting in a close proximity to new people just yet. But of course, the thought of it being Yaoyorozu did not help his anxiety in the slightest. Taking a deep breath, the half-cold, half-hot male decided to let his fears take over, eventually slinking back into his room and shut the door. Sometimes he felt like his father was right- he was weak, and never meant to be a hero.

After forty-five minutes of non stop ringing, the Shouto simply decided to cut his losses and get up, even if it was a while before he actually _had_ to. Groaning, the young man began to arise from his bed, but only to stop when the alarm was abruptly shut off. The sound of rumbling and quiet curses replaced the obnoxious ringing, causing Shouto to get up and press his ear against his the wall behind him, hoping to recognize his roommate's voice through the commotion. This was _so_ unlike him, why the hell was he being so nosy? They're roommates, not spouses! Shaking his head, Shouto's messy two-toned hair fell in his face; hiding the faint eye bags he was developing from the hours of sleep he sacrificed thinking about Momo. Suddenly, the sound of a bedroom door flinging open could be heard, with more fumbling and incoherent mumbles following suit. Shouto considered opening the door and formally introducing himself, but before he could even get out of bed, the front door abruptly slammed shut. _Figures._ Lying back down, the hero-in-training covered his eyes with his arm, a heavy sigh escaping his thin lips. After a few minutes of silence, his alarm started to ring, causing him to groan and throw his phone against the wall.

[']

Black converse trudged against the dingy cement sidewalk, two-toned irises staring at the ground with each step. His head hung low, body hunched over as he slowly maneuvered over to his job. He felt awful, the lack of sleep really was doing a number on him, plus the unnecessary anxiety towards his new roommate wasn't helping at all. Throughout his entire life, Shouto had always appeared to be aloof and indifferent towards the world around him and the people in it; however, on the inside, he was anything but. He remained in a perpetual state of anxiety through the formative years of his life; each day of the legendary Endeavor's rigorous training caused him to lose what little stability he had left. Each time he showed any of his true emotions he was quickly reprimanded, causing Shouto to build walls; and of course, after the incident with his mother, Rei, the young man finally retreated back into himself and vowed to never make the mistake of being vulnerable again. However, after attending UA, he slowly began to come out of his shell, but never enough for anyone to see how he really felt.

Wallowing in his self pity, the young man's weary demeanor could be noticed by fellow pedestrians on the sidewalk. Why was he losing sleep over this trivial situation? Why was he being so weak? As he continued to walk through the bustling Taipei sidewalk, Shouto refused to make eye contact with anyone or anything in his way. This was how Shouto wished to live his life; if he had his way he would live alone for the rest of his days…why did he want to be a hero again? Stepping onto the bus, the young man slumped into an empty seat, heterochromatic eyes glued to his shoes. He needed to get new ones soon; they were getting quite dirty from the trips to and from work. Thin lips pursed together as he tried to keep his mind entertained with more of those thoughts, and not any of his former classmate…but that proved to be useless. Before he knew it, Shouto was at his stop, soon slinking out of the bus and into the workplace.

"Todoroki, the fuck's up with you?" A familiar gruff voice spoke in perfect Japanese, causing Shouto's eyes to break from the floor and look up to the source. Upon fixating on the other Japanese male that stood behind a white counter that had a big 'Pearls and Jelly' logo written in Mandarin and English, with a large purple cartoonish cup of bubble tea under the lettering, Shouto's already sad expression managed to turn into a full blown frown. It was a fellow UA graduate from class B, Yosetsu Awase. "Hey! You're not a ray of sunshine to look at, either!" The black haired male snarled his muscular arms crossing over his chest as his own gunpowder irises looked away from his coworker. Shouto sighed, finally straightening his posture and walking towards the back of the shop to clock in. Once he returned to the front, Shouto mumbled a soft "Sorry" and maneuvered over behind the counter to begin working.

"Its whatever." Yosetsu mumbled in response, tightening his signature headband under the black 'Pearls and Jelly' hat. Before they could exchange more pleasantries, the morning boba rush came piling in, with the two UA graduates pumping out tea orders as quickly as they could. Customers came in so fast the icy-hot male had to resort to using his own quirk to ice the drinks when their normal ice machine ran out.

"Your quirk sure comes in handy sometimes." The welder spoke nonchalantly as he filled up a large cup that already had some pearls at the bottom with their signature oolong tea, soon passing it to Shouto for him to shake, ice, and seal. Taking the cup and fulfilling his duties, the icy male let out a soft smile and an even softer "Thanks."

Around 10, the morning rush came and went, leaving the two men exhausted behind the counter. Who would have thought making tea would be so tiring? Running on two hours of sleep, Shouto felt his eyes droop as he flopped onto one of the chairs near the back behind the counter. He had to wake up, he was still at work! There were still teas to make…tea…tea…_You know who liked tea? Mo-_

"Hey," Shouto's heterochromatic irises were bombarded with the sight of a small cup of peach green tea with nata jelly floating at the bottom of the cup. Looking up, his glassy orbs met with Yosetsu's, noting how the other male seemed to be scowling at him. "Get some sugar in your system and wake up." He growled, causing Shouto to take a moment until he took the drink.

"…Okay." This was the first time Shouto spoke with _some_ bass in his voice, standing up after taking a couple sips of the tea. Peach green tea was a flavor that the Todoroki _always_ ordered, mostly due to it having sentimental value to the young man…even if the taste wasn't particularly his favorite. Shouto's wandering thoughts about the meaning of peach green tea were interrupted by a vibrating sensation that was felt in his back pocket. Glancing around to make sure no customers were approaching, the young hero pulled out his cell phone and opened to an array of vibrations and messages coming from 'HeroMe'; an app made for heroes to text freely from anywhere in the world.

"Sounds like you're popular." Yosetsu mumbled as he pulled out his own (less busy) phone from his pocket while sipping some of the left over tea. Todoroki was not sure how to react to his raven-haired coworkers comment, standing there awkwardly as he remembered how quiet he used to be back in their high school years. Sighing, storm cloud grey and turquoise orbs glanced back down at his phone, thumb pressing on the HeroMe app…which was a mistake.

Years ago, the girls of class 1-A decided to make a secret group chat where they could exchange answers to assignments, gossip, pick out each other's outfits, and most importantly, talk about their male classmates. Of course, once the boys on campus caught wind of this and confronted the girls about it, they refused to add them to said group chat, the ever so…erm…smart Denki Kaminari decided that the boys of 1-A would make their own and exclude the girls…as if they really cared. Despite this, the group chat has survived all these years, with Shouto making an appearance every now and then. Now was one of those times, multicolored hues reading over the current chat log.

-Shouto Todoroki has entered the chat-

**Denki: **guys! i can't believe we're starting college soon T-T it seems like just yesterday we were all at ua!

**Izuku: **I know! I'm going miss you all

**Bakugo:** i dont and _WONT _miss any of you whiny bitches

**Denki: **T-T so mean…

**Izuku: **Wait! Todoroki's back!

**Eijiro: **bro! how u been? hows taiwan?

**Denki: **id like a large taro pudding milk tea and jiro would like one large lychee black tea with pearls and 70% sugar pls uwu

**Todoroki: **…I'm in Taiwan…

**Denki: **;(

**Bakugo: **YALL SHUT THE FUCK UP! IM TRYING TO FUCKIN PACK!

**Eijiro: **cheer up buddy! ik ull miss us

**Bakugo: **I'LL MISS YOU LEAST OF ALL

-Fumikage Tokoyami has entered the chat-

**Denki: **fumikage! havent heard from u in a while

**Fumikage:** Apologies, I was unable to bring myself to go near my cellular device these past few days.

**Denki: **…?

**Izuku: **What's wrong?

**Fumikage: **My dearest Tsuyu has doth left the land of the rising sun, taking my blackened heart with her.

**Denki: **come again?

**Eijiro: **isnt she just on vacation with her family?

**Fumikage: **Yes, my red-headed companion! My lover hast gone off into the unknown, leaving me in my black chamber all alone. Will she ever return? Will she come to love a darkened soul such as she did before? Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

**Denki: **uh…

**Eijiro: **bro that doesnt make any sense

**Sero: **isnt she just leaving for a week?

**Fumikage: **A week is an eternity.

**Bakugo: **im losing brain cells the longer i stay in this FUCKING CHAT

-Katsuki Bakugo has left the chat-

For once, Shouto had to agree with his former classmate; this chat at times had proven itself to be useless. His thumb hovered over the lock button on his phone, but more vibrations brought his attention back to the chat room.

**Denki: **waah he left : (((((

**Fumikage: **Just like my dear lover and blackened heart.

**Eijiro: **not for long

**-**Katsuki Bakugo was added to the chat by Eijiro Kirishima-

**Eijiro: **:)

-Katsuki Bakugo has left the chat-

**-**Katsuki Bakugo was added to the chat by Eijiro Kirishima-

**Eijiro: **:)

**Bakugo: STOP FUCKING ADDING ME!**

**Eijiro: **quit being like that, man! minas sayin ur being a baby

**Bakugo: WELL FUCK HER THEN**

**Izuku: **Can't we all just settle down?

**Eijiro: **bakubro! thats no way to talk about a woman!

Shouto rolled his multicolored irises upon reading these messages, they seemed to be going in nothing but circles. However, this was nothing new to the hero, as he recalled the few other times he would pop into the group chat and see similar situations play out amongst his former classmates. Mind wandering off to the girls of his class, Shouto wondered if their group chat was this lively, or if it still even existed? He wondered if…she still… Before he knew it, the young male's thumbs typed faster than his mind could keep up with, pressing send all in the span of two seconds.

**Todoroki:** Has anyone heard from Yaoyorozu lately?

**Bakugo: **Why the hell do you care?

Shouto's eyes widened once he realized what he had just said. Bakugo was right, why did he care? It definitely would come off as very suspicious maybe he can delete it before anyone else…

**Denki: **idk homie, jiro has apparently been sworn to secrecy, wont even tell me whats up w her! ik they havent seen eachother since graduation

**Eijiro: **just asked mina, she doesnt know what happened to her either, shes rlly worried

**Denki: **why do u ask todoroki?

**Bakugo: **Probably because he's bored and lonely.

Shouto gulped, his shocked expression soon turning into a sour one. Bakugo was never known for his compassion, but he never seemed to even _want_ to try and be nice to others. Shouto wanted to dispute what the explosion hero said, but before he could type a response his phone buzzed again.

**Izuku:** That's not true, Kacchan! We're all classmates and it is important to check up on each other once in a while.

A feeble attempt at a smile crossed the Todoroki's lips, but his attention was soon broken by a booming voice. "Todoroki! Yosetsu! How many orders did we get this morning?" That, of course, was Shouto's cue to put his phone away and stand up; reminding himself to send Deku a 'thank you' once he was off of work.

"About one hundred and thirty, Gufu!" Yosetsu yelled in response while putting his own phone away.

"Yosetsu! I know I'm your uncle but calling me that at work can seem like nepotism! Just call me Laoban like Todoroki does!" A large man nagged while going behind the counter, crossing his arms while 'glaring' at his nephew. Pai-Han Chen was the Taiwanese husband of Yosetsu's Japanese aunt, and Yosetsu would often times spend his summers training in Tawain and helping out around his uncles store. Shouto thought it was nice to have family members that were not _always_ pushing you to talk about being a hero, or constantly discussing their family baggage.

"Alright 'Laoban', we sold about one hundred and thirty teas this morning." Yosetsu spoke curtly, crossing his arms in response. Pai-Han sighed and pat his nephew on the back which caused a slight smile from the welder hero.

"Todoroki, can you go run out the trash before the lunch rush begins?" Pai-Han asked while walking back to his office. "I'm sure we'll get yet another big crowd!"

Shouto sighed and grabbed two completely full garbage bags, slinging them over his shoulder as he motioned towards the back door. _Oh, the lock is still messed up. _He sighed while thinking to himself, remembering when Pai-Han accidentally locked himself out of the shop for three hours and proceeded to call Shouto and Yosetsu frantically until they both arrived to _attempt_ to fix it. Turning on his heels, the half and half hero walked out the front door and stepped onto the sidewalk. _Aish, it's hot._ He thought to himself as he tried to control the right side of his body to make him cool off from the oppressive summer heat. Shouto always preferred the cooler months of the year, and standing outside in the blistering heat in all black clothing made it all the more insufferable. As he stood there trying to lower his body temperature, he tried not to make eye contact with the pedestrians who continued to brush past him along the busy sidewalk. Shaking his head, Shouto turned to take the trash out to the dumpster behind the tea shop, passing by a woman with long black hair who was dressed in some unusual attire…but had a familiar figure. _Momo? _Coming to a halt, the young male whipped his head around to see who it was, but by then, she was long gone. _Am I really imagining her, again?_ Sighing, Shouto returned to the task at hand and threw out the trash, vowing to get some sleep as soon as he got home.

Making his way back into the shop, he noticed the puzzled expression on his former schoolmate's face. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but quickly clamped it shut upon remembering how Yosetsu made it very clear on Shouto's first day on the job that they were _not_ friends, merely temporary coworkers. Yosetsu was never particularly keen on Shouto, and the feeling was mutual. They did not interact very much in high school, but Shouto remembered how uncomfortable he felt whenever Yosetsu decided to hang around class A…specifically when he would hang around Momo. Why that bothered him was something the young Todoroki could never put his finger on, but the discomfort he felt around the class B student never really went away. They were on _better_ terms now that they worked together, but this… companionship was more of a mutual understanding that they should play nice while they work together for the remainder of the summer.

"That… was strange…" The sound of Yosetsu's voice brought Shouto back to reality, blinking a few times as the other male continued to speak. "Some woman came in here wearing a big floppy sunhat, huge sunglasses, and a face mask. I asked her if I could take her order, but she took one look at me and ran out the door." Yosetsu paused, running a hand through his spiky black hair. "She looked kind of… familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I would have seen her before…" This conversation caused Shouto to think back to the woman whom he passed by on the sidewalk, two –toned brows knitting in confusion. _Was I not imagining things? Was it really…her? _

"Ah, the lunch rush is coming in." The welder hero spoke again, returning Shouto's attention to the glass door that had a few customers making their way over to it. Pursing his thin lips, the young male maneuvered behind the counter and mentally prepared himself to deal with the rest of his shift.

_Momo couldn't be here._

[']

Time seemed to move in slow motion for the duration of Shouto's shift. Despite the fast paced work environment, he felt as if he was trapped in a never ending cycle of pouring toppings and different types of teas in large plastic cups. He tried to keep his attention to the tasks at hand, but his mind would wander towards Momo. How was she doing? Would she like being in a place like Taiwan? Were her studies going well? Would she like working in a bubble tea shop? D̶i̶d̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶?̶ These thoughts followed him throughout the whole bus ride home, with every passenger onboard finding some way to remind him of his former classmate. Momo had now successfully infiltrated his mind, and there was no way he could get her out of it. But, it's not like she ever _really_ left it. Tattered black converse stepped off of the large blue bus, and slowly trudged back towards his apartment building. _I'll stop thinking about her after some sleep…all I need is some sleep…_ These thoughts replayed over and over in his mind, tired eyes remaining glued to the dirty cement sidewalk. _I don't need to care about this anymore…all I need is some sleep…_

Approaching his apartment building, Shouto peeled his eyes from the sidewalk and looked up at the entrance. Running a hand through his two toned hair, he sighed and began to make his way up the stairs, but stopped upon smelling an awful, yet familiar scent… A scent he knew all too well—smoke. His misguided trudge turned into a full on sprint, running up the stairs to see smoke coming from the large wooden apartment door. _Fuck!_ Quickly inserting his key, and twisting it, he almost ripped the door off its hinges to get it open. A thick cloud of black smoke was all that could be seen in the moderately sized two-bedroom apartment, and a blaring smoke alarm was all the young hero could hear. _It must be coming from the kitchen! _Jumping into action, the Todoroki kicked off his shoes and ran towards the kitchen, fighting his way over towards the stove. His eyes could barely make out what was going on, but saw flames erupting from his brand new kitchen stove. Did he leave something burning? Certainly not, he was at work all day! In a swift motion, Shouto used his right hand to freeze the culprit—a frying pan—into a cube while the left hand turned off the gas burner.

The flames that once engulfed the pan had now disappeared, and the smoke soon began to dissipate, however, his two-toned irises remained fixated on the stove to assess the damage that had been done. The alarm finally stopped blaring, and the apartment was now eerily quiet. Letting out a loud sigh, Shouto was motioning to turn around, but froze in place once he heard a familiar voice.

"Todoroki…san?" His eyes widened to the size of saucers, and his breathing stopped completely. _No no no… it can't be…_ Pursing his lips and steadying his breath, the young man slowly craned his neck, daring to see who stood behind him. Turquoise and storm-grey orbs fell upon a spiky, jet black ponytail, and then made their way down a pale (b̶e̶a̶u̶t̶i̶f̶u̶l̶) face, finally resting on her striking gunpowder irises. Gulping, all that Shouto could muster was a measly:

"Yaoyorozu."

* * *

**Note: **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review if you can! Also for some translation notes: Gufu ( 姑夫 (Gūfū)) in Mandarin is used to refer to your father's older sister's husband, so in this case, Yosetsu's uncle! And Laoban (老闆 (lǎobǎn)) translates to shopkeeper!


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